Blanket Know-How

With a Canadian spring often comes a plethora of weather variations. It’s possible for us to face rain one day and a freak blizzard the next. You just never know what you’re going to get! Here are several creature comfort terms to keep in mind, if you’re shopping for anything from a turnout rug to a heavy duty winter guard.
BLANKET TERMINOLOGY

Although they are great for keeping the sun and dirt off your horse's back, some nylon sheets aren't as breathable as you'd think.

Breathability – Breathability is the ability of a fabric to allow sweat and excess moisture to pass through it to the outside air. Blankets featuring this technology are commonly designed with a “hydrophilic” (water loving) coating on the inside of the fabric that draws excess sweat and moisture to it. Temperature differences between the air inside and outside of the rug/blanket then force moisture outwards. This allows your horse to stay dry and comfortable.

Denier – A fabric's denier rating relates to the weight of the yarn in the fabric: the higher then denier, the heavier and tougher the fabric.

Insulation / Fill / Polyfill – A blanket’s warmth is measured in grams of its synthetic insulation per square metre. The higher the grams, the more fill per metre and the warmer the horse. Blankets are available in a variety of fills to suit the season, location (geographic, paddock, stable, indoor, outdoor) and your horse's needs.

A tail guard.

Tail Guard – A tail guard is an extra flap of material on the hind end of a horse’s blanket. It will keep wind gusts from blowing underneath the blanket when your horse turns his back to the wind.

Taped Seams – A physical barrier at the seams of the blanket (done with a kind of “tape” that completely and fully blocks the stitch holes), to keep moisture out.

A removable neck cover.

Neck Covers – Some blankets come with fastened or removable neck covers. Not only do these provide extra protection from the wind and warmth to a large area of your horse’s body, they can also double duty as a mane protector if your horse has a habit of sticking his head through fences.

Shoulder gussets make it easier for the horse to move freely about.

Shoulder Gussets – One of the best innovations to ever come available to horse blankets, especially if you own a “stocker-type” breed. Shoulder gussets allow for complete freedom of the horse’s movement as they are correctly positioned in front of the horse’s shoulders.
Water Proof – In Canada, it’s often best to purchase blankets that offer water proof protection. An outer fabric or material that offers 100% waterproof characteristics and ensures durability over a longer period of time, will mean you won’t have to spray on water proof protection on your own.
Wither Relief – Custom shaped padding in the wither area to provide added comfort and protection.

Hola! I’m Jenn Webster. A horse trainer’s wife, a mother of infant twins and as I’m completely surrounded by equines, spurs and jeans, a bona fide disciple of the western horse world. Welcome to My Stable Life – an ongoing narrative about our daily adventures, trips to shows, various equine health advice and training tips. And of course, it’s all stirred together with an often comical dose of the reality of life with twins.